Volvo wants to make your hybrid car obsolete. The Swedish manufacturer is working on a new type of hybrid system that uses a spinning flywheel rather than the batteries and motors employed by modern hybrid cars. According to Volvo, the system would improve vehicle fuel economy by 20 percent and make a four-cylinder engine feel as powerful as a V-6.The experimental system is called Flywheel KERS, which stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. (Racing fans will note the same acronym is used for a controversial hybrid technology in Formula 1.) At the system’s core is a carbon-fiber flywheel encased in a vacuum-sealed steel hub, which is mounted near the vehicle’s rear axle. The flywheel weighs 13.2 pounds and measures 7.9 inches in diameter.When the driver brakes, a clutch connects the flywheel to the drive axle, rotating the former at up to 60,000 rpm. This captures energy that would otherwise be lost as heat when braking, much like the generator function in a traditional hybrid. When the driver accelerates, a special transmission links the flywheel to the rear axle, providing up to 80 hp of assistance. The flywheel mechanism should be able to propel the car for short distances without any engine intervention. Moreover, the car’s engine can be turned off during braking and when the car is stopped.There are some limits to this technology. The laws of physics cannot be defeated, so the flywheel will eventually slow down and lose some of its stored energy. As such, Volvo says Flywheel KERS is best suited to city driving with frequent stops and starts -- it won’t maintain very much energy after a 30-minute freeway slog, for instance.Volvo claims to have tested the idea with in a 240 sedan back in the 1980s, but using steel for the flywheel mechanism meant it was too heavy to be practical. The new flywheel setup is said to be cheaper and lighter than the batteries and motors needed for today’s hybrid vehicles. Volvo will begin tests of the flywheel system in a car later this year, and claims that cars with the hybrid setup will go on sale “within a few years.”A similar system was demonstrated by Porsche in the GT3 R Hybrid and 918 RSR Hybrid. Porsche’s system is designed with racing in mind, and combines electric motors with a flywheel energy-storage system. Conversely, Volvo’s system uses a mechanical flywheel connection and appears to be designed for mainstream vehicles.Source: Volvo

The idea of free RWD power when you need it most is just elegant and simple. I drove CVT for 3 years.. no shifting feels weird at first, but you get use to it. Can't wait. Would really like to see this in ligtht duty pickup trucks of tomorrow.. like the Dodge Rampage or Toyota A-bat. I'm watinng for midsized pickup with a fold down midgate and under bed storage that can do 30 mpg in the city with brake recovery.

I see no problems with the flybrid flywheel concept however the the TRK cvt will make the system a short term failure.
IMO the variators races and rollers will not go the distance due to the high contact pressure creating potentialy high temperatures with resulting wear and failure.

Lol, that's not new :P
our B John Deere has a huge steel flywheel for the sole pourpose of keeping the engine running durring heavy towing, through thick mud, and stuff. if it worked to make the early Deeres the best tractors of the time, it should work just fine in a volvo city car :D

Is it odd to see Volvo (a company who never went into F1 racing) be the first to put this into every day cars? That's why I love Volvo. And IBx1 STFU about it being made in china. Volvo stated THEMSELVES THAT THE FLYWHEEL AND ACCESORIES THEMSELVES WILL BE BUILT IN SWEDEN NEAR THEIR PLANT. In fact it'll be IN a Volvo owned parts supplier. And it's that simple to keep idiotic thoughts to yourself.

This is pretty impressive. Using a flywheel from an engineering perspective makes a lot of sense,and would probably be less complex than a gas/electric combination. However, I'd be a little worried about the heat that something spinning at 60,000 rpm would make. Particularly when transferring the power.

Interesting that the F1 KERS also produces 80HP.
Seems like this is a great way to go for sportier cars, as the weight looks to be much less than a typical hybrid system that uses a couple hundred lbs of batteries and motors.
Looking forward to seeing this technology progress.
-T